Sticks
Sticks & Stones is the 3rd episode of Season 2 of My Name Is Earl, and the 27th episode overall. Earl decides to cross off number 91 on his list, "made fun of Maggie Lester for having a mustache". Earl and Randy visit Maggie, who is now working for a carnival as "The Amazing Bearded Woman". Meanwhile, Joy meets her lawyer, but is less than pleased with what she encounters. Episode guide As Earl and Randy helped Catalina wax the moustache of Wilma, an employee of Palms Motel, Earl remembered teasing a bearded girl, Maggie Lester, at school and decided that she should be the next thing he crossed off his List. He searched for her in the phone book, and eventually found her as living in a place called Shady Grove. He and Randy travelled there, and were shocked to see Maggie with a full grown beard across her face. They went inside and Earl explaiend The List to her, offering to wax Maggie's beard; an idea she seemed to frown upon. She explained that she was part of a carnival, and so could not shave her beard. They spoke for quite some time about how Maggie had changed since they were at school, but Earl insisted that he had to do something to cross her off his List. She said that he had spent time getting to know her as a person, which he had never done at school, which was good enough for her, and told him to cross her off his List. He thanked her and left, but when they got outside they saw a midgit, an extremely tall man and another man with lobster hands, leading Earl to realize that they must be in a town where carnival people live when they aren't touring. Earl became worried and began to leave, but then realized that he was judging people on their appearances, as he had done in the past. He concluded that he had to get to know everyone in the neighbourhood for what they are like on the inside. Earl went back to Maggie and told her about her idea, and she agreed to invite everyone over for a barbeque. He learnt that William, the midgit, was a great chef and that Kevin, a man with a horn on his head, was good at restoring cars, having done over twenty on his own. He also learnt that Paul, the giant, knew everything about the stock market, that Jean gave the best neck massages and that Tommy was an excellent skate-boarder. They decided to go for an outing, but when they learnt that Earl was planning to take them for ice-cream first, all the carnival folk fled the car, fearing normal people's reactions to them. That triggered a memory in Earl of being forced by his coach to take off his t-shirt before jumping into a pool, despite his unbelievably hairy nipples. All the children laughed at him, and Earl realized how the carnival people felt when that happened to them day in, day out. Earl went back to the pool and met Coach Lou, who was still there, and Earl angrily told him that because of him he was never able to jump off the high dive and experience the thrills of falling into the water. Lou responded that he did it for Earl's own good, trying to show him not to let other people dictate his life. Earl went back to Shady Grove and tried to convince the carnival folk to come down and see him jump off the board, but they still all refused to go out in public. He decided to go anyway, but backed out at the last minute. As he was leaving the diving board, all the carnival folk arrived, telling Earl that they had thought about what he said and had decided to live their lives. He jumped into the pool, and was followed by all the others. Soon after they all began to go out into the real world rather than hiding in their own little society, and were even enjoying time in the Crab Shack with Catalina and Earl soon. Earl crossed Maggie off his List, happy that he had helped them realize their true potential. Meanwhile, Joy and Darnell were preparing for Joy's hearing, and making extra special efforts to ensure that Joy would not go to prison. However, she arrived at her attorney's office and discovered that she was a woman, rendering her thongless efforts a waste of time. Furthermore, she was shocked to learn that her lawyer, Ruby Whitlow, was deaf, and required an interpreter, Doug. Joy walked out of the office, refusing to deal with a deaf lawyer whom Joy considered inadequate. She was left to defend herself, but was unable to understand any legal books she had picked up. Joy realized that she would have to go back to the deaf lawyer, despite her wishes. Joy returned to the office and made a half-hearted attempt at an apology, and Ruby seemed uninterested. When Joy mentioned her children and their inability to live without their mother, Ruby eventually agreed to represent Joy. Amigos de Garcia Productions Vanity Card Notes * Despite Paul saying he receives one, Krispy Kreme does not pay a dividend. * The word "Amish" was censored during the original broadcast in light of the Amish school shooting that occured a short time before the episode aired. * We see Earl on a skateboard in this episode. Prior to being an actor, Jason Lee was famous in the skateboarding circuit. * Catalina's childhood nickname "Chupa-Chup" refers to a popular brand of lollipops that originated in Spain in the late 1950's. Flashbacks * Earl teases Maggie Lester as a child when she arrives at school from Arizona. * Earl is forced to remove his shirt by Coach Lou before jumping into a pool, therefore exposing his hairy nipples. List * List items introduced and crossed off in this episode: ** - #91 Made fun of Maggie Lester Featured music * "Nothing From Nothing" by Billy Preston * "If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out" by Cat Stevens Memorable quotes * Earl (looking through phone books): There’s a lot of Lester’s here, but I don’t see any Maggie's. * Randy: (points) There’s a Maggie! * Earl: That’s a Maggie Larson, Randy. * Randy: Oh! Both names have to be on the same line… * Darnell: Baby, I love that spray on, stocking stuff. It makes your legs look hot and it makes me a little high. * Joy: And that’s exactly how I want the Public Defender to feel when I meet him today. I want him to think if he gets me off… I’ll return the favor. * Randy: Look at his hands Earl! They’re like lobsters! But without the rubber bands to stop him from biting us with his hands! * Earl: This burger’s delicious. * William: Thank you. It’s black angus. * Randy: I don’t think I can eat it, now that I know the cows name. * Randy: (staring at the horn in Kevin’s forehead) That’s pretty cool. Can you take your head on a plane? * Kevin: Not since 9/11. We’re all making sacrifices. * Tommy: Dude, you've got a hairy chest, I've got hands like a fricken lobster. It's just not the same! Cast Starring * Jason Lee as Earl Hickey * Ethan Suplee as Randy Hickey * Jaime Pressly as Joy Turner * Nadine Velazquez as Catalina * Eddie Steeples as Darnell Turner Recurring * Noah Crawford as Young Earl * Jack Axelrod as Electrolarynx Guy Guest starring * Judy Greer as Maggie Lester * Marlee Matlin as Ruby Whitlow * Paul Ben-Victor as Coach Lou * Jonathan Slavin as Doug * Gabriel Pimentel as William * Brandon Ficara as Kevin the Unicorn Man * Catherine Anne Hayes as Jean * Wendy Worthington as Wilma * Brandon Haas as Tommy the Lobsterboy * Carel Struycken as Paul (giant) * Patrick McCarthy as Teacher Category:Episodes 203